One of the Photo Hunt participants blogged about Hugs & Hope last Saturday, and I’ve been combing through the site since then. The Hugs & Hope Club for Sick Kids was created by Marsha Jordan in October 2000, as a ministry of encouragement for children battling critical illness. Every month they feature new stories and photos of sick children on the Hugs & Hope website. Visitors and volunteers pray for, encourage, and send these children cheery postal mail (a.k.a.”happy mail”). Volunteers also sponsor many special projects to brighten the lives of the children on a regular basis!

Now, Jonathan was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was two years old. And since then, he had undergone three brain surgeries within six years to try to reduce his seizure activity, but unfortunately without much success.

Jon is allergic to most anti-seizure medications and suffers from many side effects, so his options are limited. Because of neurological impairment due to the seizures, he has trouble with his speech, coordination, and academics. And as of April 20th, he was still experiencing seizures though lately, it appears that they have decreased some.

And since he has a great love for animals, especially insects and amphibians (his pets include his dog, a parrot, a turtle and his fish), I’m going to send him some turtle postcards, and I hope he will like them :)

And since I’m at it, I might well send everybody whose birthday falls in June a birthday card (June is such a nice month, right??) :)

Did you know that..

• tuberculosis, or more commonly known as TB, kills 1.7 million people annually and infects someone every second?
• each year almost two million people die from TB and approximately nine million people develop the disease?
• new cases are increasing especially in Eastern Europe and Africa?
• TB diagnosis and treatment protocols have not kept pace as the most commonly used drug was developed more than 30 years ago?
• according to the World Health Organization, controlling TB will require an extra $650 million a year in addition to current spending?

Did you also know that TB treatment generally lasts eight months, and requires taking multiple pills daily, some of which can have significant side effects: liver problems, vomiting, headaches, joint pain, depression and even psychosis?? Consequently, failure to complete the regimen is common, and restarting treatment after interruption increases the risk of drug resistance.

Now, to combat that, Doctors Without Borders USA has introduced more flexible strategies, allowing patients to take drugs at home while keeping high adherence levels. The organization also distributes easy-to-use fixed-dose combination drugs, shortening the treatment period to six months. With fewer pills to take daily, patients are less likely to share or stop taking pills because of side effects.

Besides Doctors Without Borders, Project HOPE, which now has 66 staff members in Central Asia working specifically on TB, is the largest and most comprehensive program in the region. It provides technical assistance and support, strengthens laboratory quality assurance and trains staff in patient management, emphasizing education and adherence to treatment. It also facilitates involvement of local NGOs in TB control.

TB is a curable disease. And I am a walking example.

Not too long ago, I blogged about FreePledge on my personal blog. But if you missed reading that, FreePledge is a site that helps you support your favorite causes and non-profit organizations at no cost to you. FreePledge provides you with a new and innovative way to fulfill your charitable intentions when you shop for books, videos, CDs, electronics and other goods and services online at your favorite stores.

How does it work?

When you shop through FreePledge, you buy from the same retailers, pay the same prices, and get the same products and services. FreePledge is paid a commission and they give 100% of the listed donations back to non-profit organizations of your choice. And the amount of donation depends on how much you spend online. You can use the Donation Estimator to find out how much you can donate every year. Every penny makes a difference!

And there are 168 retailers and 189 non-profit organizations to choose from!

What’s new?

In conjunction with Mother’s Day this May 13th, FreePledge teams up with a host of retailers so that you can make a gift TWICE: Once to your Mum, and once to your (or her) favourite non-profit organization. Check out the Mother’s Day Store for a list of participating retailers and how much you will be able to donate to your favourite non-profit organization. Or Mum’s.

Yes, at no extra cost.

And yes, Mum will be delighted :)